Fidel Castro and national identity: a system of activities for Citizenship Education

Abstract

In the context of the Third Educational Improvement Program in Cuba, the formation of national identity emerges as an essential pillar of citizenship education when facing the challenge of counteracting the homogenizing influences of cultural globalization that threaten native values. The present article aims to propose a system of activities for the study of Fidel Castro Ruz's thought on national identity in 7th-grade students at the Luis Casas Romero Vocational School of Art in Camagüey. The research, with a qualitative approach and a descriptive-propositive scope, employed theoretical methods: historical-logical, analysis-synthesis, and induction-deduction, and empirical methods: documentary study of the Moral and Citizenship Education program, participant observation of ten activities, semi-structured interviews, and surveys administered to an intentional sample of 25 students. The diagnosis revealed significant deficiencies in knowledge of local and national history, detachment from native cultural traditions, as well as limited appropriation of patriotic values and sense of belonging. As a result, a system of six teaching activities was proposed, grounded in the systematization of Fidel Castro's discursive work and aligned with the contents of the subject's program, which promotes participatory and reflective learning. The proposal was assessed as feasible and pertinent by the criterion of 27 specialists with a high competence coefficient, who highlighted its coherence, creativity, and potential to strengthen national identity from the classroom. It was concluded that the utilization of Fidelista legacy constitutes an effective pathway for the citizenship education of new generations.